Flat backed counter stiffener for shoes



Nov. 14, 1933. J. H. STEWART FLAT BACKED COUNTER STIFFENER FOR SHOESFiled June 9, 1951 Patented Nov. 14, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEFLAT BACKED COUNTER STIFFENER FOR SHOES John Hammond Stewart, Lynnfield,Mass. Application June 9, 1931. Serial No. 543,102

11 Claims. (01. 12 ss) This invention relates to counter stiffeners forshoes, commonly called counters in theart. The

Y final step in making such counters is to mold them between internaland external molds and fold overthe flange onthe bottom edge. Theexternal mold consists of two members pivoted to as to swing apart forreception of the blanks and discharge of the molded countersl, The planeof division between these members is at the middle of the back of thecounter, where'the molded curvature is sharpest. In operation the backof the counter is'apt to be nipped between the adjacent corners of themolds when the latter come together when exerting their molding pressureand/ or to be pressed into the space between them. I

by the inner mold; and the part so nipped is squeezed into a verypronounced narrow ridge.

When such a counteris built-into a shoe the ridge registers with theseam at the back of the upper leather. Such seam has a substantialdepthfrom front to rear because theadjacent edges -of the right and leftquarter pieces of the upper are turned inward within the lineofstitches,

making'an inner ridge directly opposite to the external ridge on thecounter. The joint effect of the two ridges is to cause an unsightlybulging outward of the upper at the rearmost point. My present object isto obviate 'this objectionable bulge, and I have accomplished it bygiving the counter a new formation. Such formation comprises asubstantial flattening of the counter at the rear in a zone extendingfrom toptobottorn. I

I have also devised means and'methods for'so flattening the counter, twoof which are illustrated herein. One of such means and methods involvesconfining the counter in the original molding operation so thatformation of a ridge or fin is prevented and the desired flatnessgivento its outer surface, and the other involves a second operation, after aprevious molding op-' eration, by which any' such ridge as may have beenformed in the previous operationisobliterated and the desired flatnessachieved. Such methods and means, and their equivalents, as well as thecounter having the novel characteristics above mentioned, constitute theinvention disclosed and claimed herein. i

In the drawing illustrating these phases of the invention providedherewith,--

Fig. l is a perspectiveview of a molded counter having the objectionableridge referred to; p Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a molded counterembodying my invention;

Fig. 3 is an elevation of a shoe upper illustrating the location of thecounter therein;

Fig. lis a fragmentary cross section enlarged, taken on line 44 of Fig.3 and showing the back seam of the upper and its relation to thecounter;

Figs. 5 and 6 are elevations of counter molds, in open and closedposition, respectively, illustrating one form of means which I haveinvented for preventing formation of the objectionable ridge and givingthe desired flattened form at the rear of the counter;

Fig. 7 is anelevation illustrating an alternative means for obtainingthe desired final result; which is applied to flatten the rear of thecounter in a second operation. 1

In the main, .the counter shown in Fig. 1 isa typical counter of theprior art having a ridge 0. at the middle of the back... Whatever may bethe difference of contour between different counters .made for varioussizes and styles of shoes, they are all molded in substantially the sameway and by substantially like means, the general principles of which areillustrated in Fig. '5. Such means comprise an inner mold 1, usuallycalled a plug or last, around which the counter blank is bent,outermolds 2 and 3 (usually called molds),

which are made with hollow contours complemental to the formto be giventhe counter, and a flange plate or presser 4. molds 2 and 3 are forcedwith great pressure against the counter blank which embraces the plug,squeezing and compressing the blank; and

In operation'the while the blank isthus gripped between the plug moldedblanks, and to force them together in applying molding pressure.

The molds as heretofore made have been formed with abrupt and relativelysharp corners at the locations indicated by the reference nus merals 5and 6, between their molding surfaces and the faces of separationbetween them, which 'corners approach one another closely when the'molds are brought together; but a. wide gap. is

opened betweenthem when the molds are separated. The center of the bowedcounter. is liable to be, and usually is, entered more or less into thisgap in being presented for molding, or by the pressure exerted by ortoward the plug, and as the molds come together the corners pinch thesuperficial part of the counter blank, forming the ridge a. Inasmuch asthe plug rises while the molds are coming together, it is impossible toavoid such pinching of the blank. by the molds heretofore used unlessthe blank is unusually thin, or the plug is so adjusted as to apply nopressure at all on that part of the counter.

The ridge so made occupies the exact center of the bend, and is aprojection from the extreme rear part of the counter when placed. in ashoe. It registers with a seam 7 between the right and left quarterpieces 8 and 9 of the upper. This seam is made by stitches passedthrough the inturned adjacent edges ofthe pieces 8 and 9, and is locatedat the eXactcen-ter of the heel end of the shoe. It substantially in--creasestthe thickness of the upper :at this point and, whenadditionally held outward byaridge -on :the counter, causes an unsightlybulge .and

.detracts greatly from the desirable appearance of the shoe.

vIn a'c'cordance with my invention, I have produced counters in which,as shown by Fig. 2, in-

:stead :of theridge a, there is a flattened zone '0 .on the outside atthe rear. The term flat or ffiattened has reference only to theformation of the elements circumferential of the counter,

".tIIOSE' indicated by the lines of shading at b in imergessmoothly withthe curvature at either side of .it,.having no abrupt shoulders orangles.

For purposes of this description the counter may be considered asconsisting of a body and flanged, the body comprising all of the counterexcept the flange. In comparing. the Irelative :d'ensity of compressionof the flattened zone with the-adjacent parts of the counter, the bodypart alone andnotthe flange'is taken .asthe basis of comparison; for theflange, being compressed :by

1 the flange plate or presser and not by thecoop- .eration 'of the innerand outerimolds', may have .a radically different order of compressionthan the body. g:

The flattening. of the counter back maybe accomplished simultaneouslywith its molding and compression elsewhere, or by 'a'further operation.after molding in the old manner. For obtaining the effect the first ofthese two ways, I have devised; the meansshown in Figs. and 6. Thismeans comprises an extension 10 on one of the outer molds, as the mold3, which is arranged to bridge the gap between the corners 5 and 6 andto enter a suitably preparedspac'e 11in the other :mold, as the outermolds approach one another and the inner mold or plug is raised, butbefore any considerable pressure has been applied to thecounterlbl'ank.This extension is formed with inner surtace which merges smoothly withimold member which it enters.

the contours of the cavity in the mold :member from which it springs,and comes into similar register with. the surface of the cavity in thesuch. extension.

receives it in the mold 2 may be avoided. However, an equivalentextension may be formed by .making one mold originally with asubstantial integral extension and forming the other with a complementalrecess to receive it.

Otherwise the outer molds, and the plug or inner'mold, may be made,assembled with operating mechanisms in a counter molding machine, andcooperatively actuated in the manner heretofore known, or otherwise. Inthecommon practice the plug is moved upward, that is toward the back ofthe cavity between the outer molds, and the outer molds are squeezedinwardly against the sides of the plug, the joint-effect of theseactions being to compress the counter throughout its body, with asubstantial component of pressure exerted longitudinally through theplug on the back of, the counter. The-thrust of the plug is opposed bythe mold extension 10 with thei105 support of the contiguous parts ofthe outer molds. As the extension has bridged the gap between the outermolds before any substantial pressure has been exerted by this thrust,it effectually prevents any ridge from being formed; while itflattensand more greatly compresses the rearmost zone of the counter when themaximum pressure thrust is applied.

The other mode above referred toof flattening the counter is illustratedin Fig. 7. The counter115 1, previously molded in the old way, is-placedon a plug 12 which may be a counterpart of the plug mold on which it wasfirst molded. The

'counter is then compressed at its rearbetween means above described forproducing the desired result are not necessarily an exhaustiveillustration of all the means which may be used, but

are rather illustrative of the principles applicable to the purpose.- Inso far as that phase of my invention which consists of a novel counteris concerned, I am not limited to any speciflcmeans for obtainingit;while as to the apparatus and. method phases of the invention, I claimthe substance thereof without limitation to the details of theresultsaccomplished. That is, these principles may be applied toinsuring the absence of a ridge in the finished counter even when notaccompanied by a distinct flatteningof thecounter. So far as I am aware,it is novel with this invention both to provide a bridge across thecentral gap between the outer molds of a'counter molding machine, toeifect a greater compression in the middle rear zone of a counter thanin the adjacent areas of its body, and also to compress therear part ofthe counter in any further operation after molding, whatever may be theresults achieved by so doing.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: v

1. A shoe counter having a flattened zone at its back extending in thedirection between the top and bottom edges of the counter.

2. A shoe counter in which the outer surface at the middle of the bowedportion is flattened circumferentially.

3. A shoe counter in which the outer surface at the middle of the bowedportion is flattened circumferentially in a zone of which the length isdirected between the top and bottom edges.

4. A shoe counter having a zone at the back where the substance of thecounter is more greatly compressed than adjacently in the body of thecounter, in such manner that the outer surface of such zone isflattened.

5. A molded, compressed and flanged counter for shoes having a zone ofgreater compression at the rear, extending from the flanged edge towardthe top edge and being substantially flat on the outside surface.

6. Counter molding means comprising separable'outer molds and an innermold, one of the outer molds having an extension bridging the gapbetween them when closed and cooperating i with the inner mold toconfine and compress the interposed part of a counter.

7. Counter molding means comprising separable outer molds and an innermold, one of the outer molds having an extension and the other a recessto receive such extension when the molds are brought together; theextension being flat,

8. Counter molding means comprising separable outer molds and an innermold, one of the outer molds having an extension and the other 7 arecess to receive such extension when the molds are brought together,saidextension having a molding surface cooperative with the adjacent endof the inner mold and being insmooth continuity with the moldingcontours of the adjacent outer molds.

9. Counter molding means comprising an inner mold, two outer moldscomplemental to said inner mold separated from one another'approximatelyon the median line of the assemblage and pivoted to swing together andapart, and means arranged to close the space between said outer moldswhen said molds are brought together; the molding surfaces of said moldsand space closing means being in smooth continuity when in the closedtogether position.

' 10. Counter molding means comprising inner and outer moldinginstruments arranged to exert thereof at the middle of the back portion,the

outer molding instrument having a continuous, circumferentially flat,face crossing the middle of such back portion.

11. The method of treating shoe counters which consists in first moldingthe counter in the usual way, and then removing any ridge which may havebeen formed in the molding process at the rear of the counter andflattening such zone by pressure exerted on the counter at such rearmostzone.

